The First Year
by madcat1522
Summary: Extreme AU! This story fallows the first year of Belle's job at MacAldonich, Gold and Wallace, a well respected architecture firm, and the ups and downs of her relationship with her boss, Mr. Gold.
1. Chapter 1 The interview

**Hey Everyone! This is extremely AU, mostly it's a completely original story in which I have incorporated ONCE characters, so don't be mad if certain traits or details are very different. Each chapter will be its own sort of story, but they will all be chronological and form a larger story, so don't be surprised if weeks pass between chapters. Each one is its own event! Hope you enjoy, I'm really really excited about this! Thanks! (I don't own anything OUAT) **

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She got out of her car and looked at the large intimidating building that stood before her. This was it. She had been anticipating this interview ever since moving to LA two weeks ago. Though the big city was only a few hours from her hometown, Belle French had been so nervous about making this move. She was daddy's girl and had lived at home all through college. But when just after graduation she had found out about her cheating Fiancé she decided it was time to pack up and move on with her own. She needed change. She needed a grand adventure.

She walked into the building, business men and women of all shapes and sizes ran about frantically. She had to admire the building itself, it was huge, housing businesses and offices for every imaginable purpose. The modern style of the building appealed to Belle greatly, it made her want the job even more. The chance to work in a building like this was just too good. Today she was headed to the 12th floor and to MacAldonich Gold and Wallace. It was a very prestigious architecture firm, and though Belle was an art major, she was in no way qualified to be an architect. The job she was applying for was that of office manager, something she was much more qualified for. It paid well and Belle and an exceptional love of organizing things and taking care of people's needs.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a large and modern seating area. Just on the other side of it was a long rounded desk behind which two impeccably dressed receptionists sat. Belle walked up to one of them. The red headed girl smiled at her sweetly "how may I help you" she requested. "Um yes, I have an interview at 2:00" said Belle shyly. "Of course, you must be Mrs. French, Mrs. Lucas will be right out" said the girl brightly "By the way I'm Ariel". Belle smiled back at the girl, comforted by her friendly attitude. Taking a seat Belle took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself.

"You must be Mrs. French" Belle looked up, to her surprise she was looking at an older, welled dressed woman. She had to be in her late 50s maybe early 60s; she wasn't at all the slick suited man Belle imagined would be conducting the interview. Though the woman was dressed to the nines and wore many what had to be real diamonds, there was something very grandmotherly about this woman, putting belles mind at ease. She fallowed the woman into and office located not far behind the front desk. Belle sat down and looked at Mrs. Lucas intently. "So, tell me about yourself" the older woman asked.

Half an hour later Belle was exiting the building, feeling confident, if not totally sure she would get the position. Mrs. Lucas had assured her that they would call her the fallowing day to let her know if she had the position. The only thing left to do was wait.

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**Thanks for reading! I know the chapters are short but I will try to publish at least twice a week to compensate! **


	2. Chapter 2 The office

**Hi again! thanks for the great response guys, please keep reviewing! I promise the chapters will get longer, I just need to have a few short ones to establish the story. **

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It was 6 am and Belle sat on the floor of her new office, taking a drink of water and setting the paint roller she was holding back in the bucket. She had gotten the job with little contest. Mrs. Lucas had said that she was the only candidate with the right kind of attitude. Belle had settled in quickly, a week had passed and she had managed to meet almost everyone in the office, everyone was friendly and professional, though she still had yet to make any real friends. There was still one person she had yet to meet, her boss. On her first day at the job she had been under the delusion that Mrs. Lucas would be her boss, when Belle had mention something to that effect, she scoffed "far from it dear, I am assistant to your boss, Mr. Gold, Branch manager and major shareholder in the company. He at the headquarters in Scotland for two weeks, that's why was put in charge of hiring you". Belle had been shocked, Mrs. Lucas was only an assistant?

A week had passed since then and Belle still hadn't met the allusive Mr. Gold. She picked the paint roller up again, she had been given her own office just adjacent to the front desk, it was small but two of the walls were glass and they gave her a lovely view if the floor. She had always been an avid people watcher. After getting permission to paint her office she had come in very early that day to paint, arrange and truly make it her own. Though she wasn't allowed to paint it any colors that would compromise the style of the office floor or make any major architectural changes, she had decided on paining one wall a very soft blue with chalkboard paint. That way she could draw on the wall to appease her creative desire. She had also hauled an antique desk she had painted white into the small room. It was much prettier than the black metal one that came with the room.

As she finished up and was contemplating finding a bathroom to change into more work appropriate clothes (as her current ones were paint covered in paint) she heard a small "ahem". "oh hey Jefferson, what do you think?" Belle questioned, motioning to her lovely new office. "Well its certainly something else" he said with a teasing smile. Jefferson was the closest thing to a friend Belle had here. He was their IT man and therefore worked with Belle a lot as she was in charge of the overall function of the office. Though Jefferson had a daughter named Grace he was quite young and quite good looking. Belle may have been interested in him if it wasn't rumored that his marriage to Graces mother had ended because he was gay.

"Don't you think it's nice" Belle questioned. "It's quite lovely" he said, still with a teasing air "I'm sure the boss will love it when he gets here today". "He's coming back today" said Belle horrified. "yeah, we just got a large account so he decided to come back early to get started on it, there will be an office wide meeting about it at 11:00, so you'll get to meet the big man then". Belle was shocked, settling into her new job without a boss looming over her had been so nice, but that was about to end.

11:00 rolled around and Belle checked herself in the bathroom mirror. She wore a bale pink blouse tucked into a black leather knee length skater skirt, the tights and black high heel ankle boots made the outfit stylish, yet professional. She headed for the room she knew to be Mr. Gold's office "you ready for this" Jefferson said teasingly, opening the office door for her. She smiled at him, but said nothing.

The office she entered into was much larger than she could have ever imagined. One wall was made up entirely of windows and looked over the city, the majority of the room was taken up with a large conference table that most of the company now sat at. At the head of the table was an impeccably well-dressed older man whom Belle had never seen before, _that must be him _she thought. Belle Sat Down between Ariel and Jefferson. Ariel gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile but Belle couldn't shake the knot that had formed in her stomach.

"Well everyone it's good to see you all again" Mr. Gold said, standing up from the table "And hello to our new comer, Mrs. French is it?". "Yes" Belle managed, something that could have been butterflies burned her insides at being addressed directly.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the new account, Belle absorbed little of it, though it didn't really concern her anyway, she was only the office manager. As she left the meeting she couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching her as she exited. Practically running back to her office, she shut the door and tried to calm down. She was a lot more flustered then was really necessary.


	3. Chapter 3 A New Home

**Hello there! hope you are enjoying, things are about to start getting good!**

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Belle got into her car after another long day of work, little had happened in the weeks since Mr. Gold had returned from Scotland. She couldn't understand why, but there seemed to be a strange tension that came about whenever they were in a room together, though she could have been making that up. They spoke little, only casual "how are you today Mrs. French" when they exited their offices that happened to be located across the hall from each other.

Belle reached the small apartment she inhabited. When she had first moved to LA finding a suitable home had been number one on her list. She didn't think she could handle living all on her own very well, so she lucked out when she found an ad seeking a young woman as a roommate. Mary (short for Marion, but she hated that name) was Belles roommate in their slightly older 2 bedroom apartment. Belle found that she got along with her very well, Mary was two year older than her and working on her master's degree. The only thing they didn't see quite eye to eye on was that, like Belle, Mary didn't have many friends in the city and loved to party on the weekends, meaning Belle was often dragged to any number of clubs after work on Friday nights. Which Belle didn't hate to begin with, but was now growing tired of.

Belle walked up the steps to the apartment, Mary's car was gone so she was hoping she had already gone out and had forgotten about Belle. Belle flopped down on her bed hoping for some peace and quiet on this night. As if it knew her thoughts her phone started to buzz. "Hello" Belle said, more angry then she intended. "Hello, Belle it's Mrs. Lucas". "oh hello" said Belle again, brightening her voice. "I have a favor to ask of you" replied Mrs. Lucas. "okay" said Belle, trying not to sound hesitant. "Well some of the firms in the area are meeting for an annual dinner, and our company is expected to have several representatives at this dinner, now normally Mr. Gold and I attend, but I have had a family emergency and won't be able to go, and I was wondering of you might be able to go in my place, I apologize for the short notice". As much as Belle wanted to spend the evening alone, she liked the idea of free dinner. "Sure, I'll go" she said. "perfect! Just meet Mr. Gold at La Scala at 9:00 and dress appropriately" said the older woman." "I'll be their".

Belle sifted through her closet, she found a tight maroon dress that she didn't wear often, but would be appropriate for the night. The entire drive there she second guessed her decision to come, she would have to spend the entire evening in the company of her very intimidating boss. Belle hopped out of the car and adjusted her dress. She began walking in when she noticed Mr. Gold casually leaning against one of the pillars that stood outside the restaurant. "Well hello Mrs. French, I wasn't expecting to see you here" he said, displaying legitimate confusion. "Mrs. Lucas had a family emergency, so I agreed to come in her place" Stated Belle. "How noble of you" he replied with a smirk, holding the door open for her.

They were guided by a hostess to a large table in the back, at which many very professional looking people were seated. Belle and her boss were stuck at the end of the table and after a brief introduction it was clear that they were in no position to contribute much to the larger conversation. Belle looked at Mr. Gold, she really ought to say something and break the silence. "So, Mr. Gold, what is Scotland like, I have always wanted to go". He looked up at her quizzically "First off you can call me Lachlan, there is no need to be quite so formal, and second of all its… cold" he ended the sentence without feeling. But Belle couldn't help but feel slightly encouraged by knowing his first name. Lost in thought, she didn't realize she had been staring at him, when he looked up at her their eyes met and she gave him an embarrassed smile before quickly looking away.

The rest if the dinner passed slowly and they talked very little. As she got up to go she smiled and he replied with "I'll see you tomorrow Mrs. French. Driving home that tense feeling that she had felt during that first meeting was very present in her stomach. If she couldn't get over this she was going to do some serious damage to her insides.


	4. Chapter 4 The Stripper

**Hey guys! i'm so sorry for the delay, I know I promised twice a week but, I have a good excuse, I was at San Diego comic con! and yes I did see the ONCE panel, meaning I got to see our beloved Belle and Rumple in real life! aaaand I got Robert Carlyles signature! and I also got a once themed tattoo! I know this is a bit hard to believe but it's real life! anyway now that i'm back in the real world I will try and post AT LEAST twice a week! sorry this chapter is so short, I just had to get something out quickly! enjoy! **

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She walked into the office the next day with her head held high. Belle had decided the night before that she was going to be bigger than this new found crush on her boss. There was no way he would be interested in her and any attention he had given her was probably either an attempt to manipulate her of was simply his attempt and being social. So Belle had chosen to ignore it, she was here to do her job, at she was damn good at it. She had even chosen a stylish, all black, outfit to further the idea that no one was getting under her skin today.

Sadly the day was uneventful; she scheduled some meetings with clients, helped Jefferson with the new website and talked to Emma (the other front desk girl) about a book she had lent her. 1:00 roller around and Belle was considering taking her lunch, when she heard a small tap on her office door

Belle looked up to see Mr. Gold leaning casually on his cane on the other side of the glass door. Shocked, she stood and opened the door. "Hello Mr. Gold, can I help you?" she questioned nervously. "Well, perhaps" he began "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to lunch". Belles mind spun, he was asking her to eat with him? What was this? "Sure!" she spluttered out. Together they walked out of the office and headed to the elevator. "Where are we eating?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence. "well, they just finished this new hamburger place on one of the lower levels, I heard it was really great". Belle was surprised, she would have never taken the old Scotsman for a hamburger guy.

She followed him out of the elevator on to the bottom floor of the office building. The building held several expensive and trendy restaurants on the lower floors, one of the newer ones being a place simply called BLT. Belle and Gold fallowed the hostess to a table. Belle noted the overall style and hipness of the place, so unlike any burger joint she had been to before. She looked at the menu; all the items had funny unconventional names like "The Al Capone" and "The interstate 80". None of them sounded particularly appealing to her, she wasn't really one for burgers. Finally one caught her eye "The Stipper" it was a burger without a bun, served on lettuce. She blushed as she gave her order to the waitress, the slightly scandalous name sounding juvenile in front of her uptight boss. He gave her a small smile and said "I'll have the same".

As comforting as this small gesture was, the rest of the lunch passed awkwardly. He made very little to no attempt to make conversation with her, simply scanning the small restaurant or staring and his well-kept nails. Any efforts she made at conversation were answered with polite, but short responses. He paid and they left and silently, once again, ascended to the office.


	5. Chapter 5 Strong Words

**Hello again! I was quite excited to write this chapter AND it's a decent length. Enjoy!**

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Belle didn't know, she honestly didn't know. He was so fickle, maybe he liked her maybe he didn't. Maybe it was a fleeting attraction, maybe he want to move to the suburbs, buy a house with a red door and start a family with her. Probably not that last one, she thought to herself with a small laugh. Why was she even bothering with him anyway, she was grouchy, walked with a cane and was probably 25 years her senior. All valid reasons for mentally dropping the subject, but she couldn't. She found herself getting up every morning and dressing in things she thought he would like to see her in, judging all her work from his point of view. She got through the long work days by hoping she would get a glace of him across the hall. It was a so ridiculous, even to her.

She lunched that day with Emma and Ariel, the two secretaries'. The three of them had become good friends over that last few weeks, to the point that she had even abandoned Marion a few times in favor of them. She felt bad about it, but it was good to make her own friends. Though they had grown close, she hadn't confided her secret crush in them. They knew the man too intimately for it to go over well. She had considered telling Jefferson, but what was the point of that- only further judgment. She fiddled with her coffee cup "how old is too old" she inquired to the women "like, in a guy". Ariel chimed in first "well, I personally wouldn't want anyone to much older than me, it would be hard to build a life with someone who's at a different stage in life". Belle hadn't thought of that. Emma rolled her eyes at the redhead "She's not talking about settling down, when it comes to dating I think just about anything goes". Emma's answer comforted her marginally, but she was not a serial dater like Emma. She had often day dreamed about what his home may look like, spending the night there and then even spending her life there. But day dreams counted for little now.

Returning from lunch she found Jefferson waiting outside her office. She was glad it was common knowledge he was gay, or people might get the wrong idea about all the time they spend together. He Smiled and handed her a cream folder "I have a project for you". The project turned out to be a fairly simple task, but one of great importance; she was extremely flattered that Jefferson would trust her with something like this. It had to do with making sure building plans made it into the right hands in a timely manner. She managed the task by the end of the day and returned home, wanting to feel happy with Jefferson's trust of her but was only disappointed that she didn't see her elusive boss that day.

Belle dressed extra carefully the next morning, she hardly ever went a day without seeing her boss, so she was sure to see him today. She bounced into work eating a bagel and drinking her morning smoothie, but the second she stepped in, she could tell something was wrong. Only Emma was at the front desk and the rest of the floor was devoid of people. Before she could ask Emma where everyone was, Mrs. Lucas hurried out of an office and towards her "there's been a bit of a disaster, everyone is in Gold's office now" she said in a rush, dragging Belle by the arm into the office. For as large as the office was it was packed with people now, all crowded around Mr. Gold's desk. She couldn't see him through the wall of people, but his cold voice rang clean "It was supposed to be on her desk by last night. It was of the upmost importance, and she still doesn't have them. Delaying things a further 12 weeks." Belle had no idea what he was talking about, or why it was necessary for her to be there. "Who was put in charge of the account?" Gold inquired "Mr. Booth" Said Mrs. Lucas, worming her way through the people to the desk. "Alright" Mr. Gold said, calmer than Belle expected "Mr. Booth". At this August Booth, one the firms architects pushed his way to the desk "I finished the account in time, but handed it over to Jefferson for him to look over; he said he would make sure it got delivered." Mr. Gold nodded, still cold but calm. Jefferson found his way to the front; Belle had a small view of him around someone's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Gold, I saw to it that Mrs. Mills plans were delivered, I don't know what could have happened." Mr. Gold nodded stiffly, he seemed to be pondering his words "Thank you for our honesty Jefferson." He said finally.

That's when it hit Belle. The name on the folder Jefferson had given her. Regina Mills. She had sent the folder with a runner, she didn't think it was so important that it need be delivered by her, and why hadn't it been delivered? And more importantly why was Jefferson taking the fall for her? She couldn't let that happen. She forced her way to the desk, Jefferson gave her a look of _don't do this_ but she ignored him and taking a deep breath, spoke "Mr. Gold, Jefferson have me the plans to deliver them, it's my fault. I sent them with a runner; I don't know why they didn't make it." She dared to look at him, he was looking down, but when he lifted his head, all ere of cold-calmness was gone. He stood up and leaned across his desk, inched away from her face. "You stupid girl" be began "Why on earth would you send something of such importance with a runner, It's idiocy beyond my imagining that you- a pitiably office sheep would accept such a task, your failing has cost this company more money than your own life is worth" The whole room fell in dead shock, so silent Belle was sure they could hear her heart plummet. No one had every spoken to her with such malice. No one had ever judged her so harshly. She turned; everyone moved automatically making a path for her. To her shame, tears began to flow before exiting the room. She grabbed her purse and made her way to the elevator before anyone could stop her, only seeing Emmas confused look as she lift the office, for quite possibly the last time.


	6. Chapter 6 Rash Decisions

**Things are starting to get good! also I tried to edit a bit more carefully this time, Enjoy!**

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Belle fell hard face down, and let out something between a scream and a sob. It wasn't only the way he had spoken to her that was crushing her soul; it was that he had been so calm talking to Booth and Jefferson, but when he found out it was her fault he had come apart. He must hate her more deeply than she had ever been hated to warrant such treatment. The worst part was, she had come to care for him so much, put him on such a high pedestal.

Not only did the whole situation hurt beyond words, but it meant she was now out of a job. Even if he didn't fire her over the incident, there was no way she could go back. And if she didn't find another job quickly she would have to leave LA. It was amazing how quickly her whole life could fall apart. One moment she and a great job, friends and colleagues who respected her, the next moment it was all gone.

Her phone lit up. She expected an influx of concerned friends asking how she was doing, but she wasn't quite ready to face them yet. Begrudgingly, she opened the message.

THAT ASSHOLE, IM GOING TO KILL HIM –Emma

Belle couldn't help but smile a little, Emma had quite a temper. She was glad that her friend was on her side.

The front door opened and shut with an audible click. Marion was home. Once again she wasn't ready to talk about the situation and hoped that Mary wouldn't enter her room to enquire why Belle was home so early. Belle realized with a sudden jolt that if she had to leave it would break her roommate's heart. She let out a weak sob and began to cry again. It was going to be a rough few days.

Her phone lit up again. Thinking it was Emma going on about avenging her again; she looked at the screen lazily. It read:

INCOMING CALL. MRS. LUCAS.

Why was she calling? Belle thought cautiously. Maybe it was to confirm that she had been fired. Belle braced herself and answered the phone "Hello". The older woman began to speak immediately "Belle, I'm so sorry about everything that happened today, but I have a favor of the upmost importance that needs to be attended to as soon as possible. Do remember the Gallery plans you sent when you first started working here?" before Belle could answer the question the woman began to speak again "I need you to go to that location and pick up some papers and deliver them here, thank you!" and with that she hung up. Belles mind reeled, so apparently she hadn't been fired, and the office must be in a state of real chaos is they were asking her to deliver papers. Even if she was going to quit, it wouldn't kill her to do this one favor. After all she HAD walked out of them.

She slowly changed her clothes, ate lunch, and headed out. She figured there was no need to rush, since she was probably going to quit anyway. As she drove she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange about Mrs. Lucas's call, she had sounded so strange almost rehearsed…. By the time Belle found the fine art gallery it was mid-afternoon and would be getting dark soon. She headed in, hoping the front desk person would have the papers ready.

She walking into the grand gallery and admired the general scene. She loved art more than anything and her spirits were lifted a little just being among it. There was no one there to welcome her, in fact it seemed like no one was there at all. On top of that many of the lights were off, and it seemed like the place was in the midst of being closed for the day. She began to walk around, searching of a sign of life. After wondering a bit she entered the last wing of the building she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the outline of a person in a dark corner. She rushed over and was just about to greet the stranger when she realized, it was him.

Mr. Gold stepped out of the shadowy corner to face her. "Miss. French" he stated coolly. Anger flared within Belle "if this is some sort of poorly played out trick to fire me or get me to quit or" before she could go on he lifted his hand and began to speak "no no no that way not my intention, I had Miss Lucas send you here so I could have a chance to apologize without you running away". Belle was stunned, his tone was apologetic and calm, and he seemed so sincere "w-what makes you thing I would forgive you after what you said to me?" Belle said boldly. "Nothing" he replied "my only intention is for you to know it won't happen again and for you to return to work "the things I said to you are beyond forgiveness''. Again she was stunned, she wanted to still rage against him, but he seemed so broken "why" for reasons beyond her control, fat tears began to roll down her face "why would you say those things to me" she felt childish as she spoke the last words. There was a long pause before he spoke "It wasn't because of the Mills account, I could care less about that woman's wasted time, I-I just took out my frustration on you". "Why me" Belle retorted, a small fire growing in her again. "Because" he took a deep breath "I'm in love with you, and have been for some weeks now".


	7. Chapter 7 First Date

**Hey guys! So this is the chapter that gives this story a M rating so get ready, also thanks for the reviews!**

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The words rang in the air, clean and sharp, but they sunk into Belle slowly. She let them bounce in her mind for a few moments before generating thought. _He loves me. _She tried to think of a response, part of her was still hurt and angry, but part of her was overflowing with hope. If it wasn't of the sincerity of his apology and the fact that she truly believed he when he said that it wouldn't happen again , she would have never said the next sentence. "I'm in love with you too". He looked at her with nothing but pure shock and for a moment they stood there, just trying to comprehend each other. Mr. Gold moved first, stepped close to her and slowly, ever so slowly, placed a hand on the back of her neck and brought her lips to his. Belle let it happen without hesitation, melting into him like she had been waiting for this her whole life.

After many long moments they broke apart, Belle resting her head against his, still wrapped in each other's embrace. "I'm so sorry Belle, I didn't think you could ever love me back" he said again. Her brow furrowed, so that was the real reason for everything, the awkwardness, the strong words- he didn't think she could ever feel the same way about him. "Well, you were very wrong" she said with a smirk. At long last he pulled away and after taking her in for a moment said "Will you have dinner with me?". "Of course" She replied, a little too eagerly. "Good" he said with a smile "I have some work to finish up, so shall I pick you up at 8?". Belle nodded, and let him begin to lead her out of the gallery.

The drive home was a nervous one, not only was Belle trying to process what had just happened, but her thoughts wandered to what she was going to do about their date that night. She was beyond excited but after everything that had happened, she had no idea what to expect. She ran up the stairs to her apartment, it was 5:00 leaving her three hours to get ready. Under normal circumstances that would be plenty of time. But these were not normal circumstances. Mary was sitting on the couch when she walked in, and after a quick shower she began to tell her the events of the day. Belle finished the story and putting down her mascara, looked at Mary for a reaction. Her face was shocked and all she could manage was "wow…just, wow". Belle rolled her eyes at her. "It's like a fairytale, isn't it" Mary said, "yeah except in fairytales the prince isn't fifty years old with a bad temper. Both the women laughed, and for all the teasing Marion could tell Belle really loved him.

She spent more time then was really necessary picking an outfit. It had to be THE outfit. She settled on a very classy long sleeved black blouse with see-trough lace at the top, tucked into a tight black shirt that flared a little at the knee. She also chose cherry red pumps for a pop of color. She makeup-ed carefully and at fifteen to eight, walked out of her room to show Mary. "Wow, you look so good even I'm tempted" she said with applause, Belle blushed "now get out of here, unless you want to be introduced". "Oh, no I want no part in your fucked up romance" And with that Marion left the room. Belle took a deep breath; she couldn't remember ever being this nervous. It was nearly time; she looked out the window which offered a view of the parking area. She had been watching for a few moments when a immaculate black Cadillac entered the visitors parking. Belle was sure this apartment complex had never seen such a nice vehicle. Lachlan Gold began walking up to the stairway looking very nonchalant. Belle watched him until the angle of the building no longer offered a view. She took a deep breath. I was go time.

She checked herself in the mirror one last time before answering the door. "Hello darling, you look stunning". Belle blushed at the endearment, but he looked stunning too, dressed in nearly all black and leaning on his golf tipped cane. She moved aside so he could enter, slightly embarrassed by her cute but shabby apartment. He didn't seem to mind though; he looked around and smiled reassuringly. "Are you ready?" he asked kindly. "Yes, let me just grab my bag". After returning from her room with her purse he offered her his arm and she gladly slipped her arm through it and together they headed to his car.

As they drove she marveled at the luxury, the soft leather interior and new car smell. They sat in silence, but not an awkward one. She had asked where they were going but he had only said "to dinner" with a wink that suggested the location was a surprise. The silence was slightly broken by the radio, or perhaps a cd playing too low to distinguish. Belle listened intently trying to make out what the song was, hoping to give her insight in to what kind of music Lachlan listened to. Then she heard it… _Where there's music and there's people and they're young and alive…. _Without thinking she turned the volume up. She looked at Gold "You like The Smiths?" she questioned, a little too excited. He laughed "Why yes, I take it you do to?" "Yeah they are my favorite, especially this song" she replied. He smiled and be began to hum along …_Driving in your car, I never never want to go home… _Belle couldn't help but think that it was a very appropriate song for the moment.

They arrived at the destination, a restaurant called Stonehill Tavern, Belle had heard of the place it was known for being exclusive and thus expensive. Over dinner they finally managed to get it together and not be awkward. They talked openly about things, work, family and past relationships. Lachlan had explained that he had been married once before and had a son when he was quite young and still in Scotland. The marriage failed after 10 years and he moved to the states to head up the business. He admitted to not being there for his son during his teen years but the two had a good relationship a now that his son was living in New York, working at a small tech company. Belle told him all about her ex finance and her reasons for moving to LA. The conversation moved effortless and despite everything Belle couldn't help but feel that the two where, in fact, compatible.

After dinner they returned to the car and Belle was struck with the fact that, more than anything, she didn't want to go home. She wanted to be with him. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as he hesitated to start the car. "W-would you like to come to my place for a drink". Belle smiled "yeah, I would". They headed out of downtown and into an area where every house was larger and more expensive than the next, finally pulling into a beautiful, modern looking, white house. He lead her through the front door and Belle nearly gasped. Through the front door was a large living room that took up the width of the house, and the back wall was made entirely of large glass panels which offered the most magnificent view of the city.

Belle sat on a long white couch before a fireplace. "Would you like a drink?" Gold asked, Belle nodded and watched him as he went to the kitchen to make drinks. He had only removed his jacket, but she had never seen him more casual. It was comforting to know he could be himself with her. So much had happened that day and it was beginning to catch up with her. They were in were in love, but this was their first date. Everything was so out of order and she had no idea what should come next, but as he joined her on the couch and gently took her hand in his own, she found she didn't care.

They talked for a long time, it seemed they their feelings had been mutual from the start but neither of them had been brave enough to do anything out it. It made her sad to think of all the wasted time, but there was plenty ahead of them, their whole lives perhaps. Gold had adjusted closer to her and there was almost no distance between them. She liked this, she like feeling the heat from his body and smelling his sent. Without words he placed his hand on the back of her neck, he did not move her forward but his intention was clear. So she took a deep breath, not knowing what she was getting herself into, but not really caring and closed the distance between them.

Their lips met in what began as a slow and gentle kiss, but Belle could feel a growing want in the pit of her stomach, prompting her to lean in further, letting their bodies touch. Encouraged by this their kisses depend, tongues meeting in the middle and hands exploring each other. Gold twisted Belle around and lay her on the couch hovering over her, he kissed her gently as he pulled her shirt free from her shirt and let his hand glide under her blouse. Belle pulled him closer as to let him know that what he was doing was okay. He moved his hand under her bra, prompting Belle to moan a little. Her hands went automatically to his tie and began to loosen it, at this Gold pulled Belles shirt over her head. She then started on his buttons when he stopped her "Maybe we should go to the bedroom". Belle thought a moment, if she wanted to back out, now was the time, but she didn't. She let him lead her to his bedroom, it was almost entirely dark and she could only make out the bed, which she sat down on. Together they removed each other's clothes until Belle was only in her panties. She was nervous but with every touch, the little fire in her stomach grew and she wanted more. She pulled him between her legs and trailing kisses all down her, removed the last bit of clothing that separated them. She moaned deeply as he moved inside her the first time. Months of day dreaming and longing finally coming to fruition. She had never felt anything like this before, he was the most unselfish lover, every move was calculated to her need. It wasn't long before they were grasping onto each other for dear life, before finally relaxing in one another's arms. Euphoria gave way to sleepy satisfaction as she curled into his open arms, hoping that it wouldn't all be a dream in the morning.


End file.
